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Hope In The Small

Luke 2:8-12 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

The angel announced to the world, “Messiah has arrived. God is here. And here’s the sign: He’s a baby.”

The angel had to tell them because Israel did not expect Messiah to show up as a baby.

God could have chosen a different beginning.

He chose small.

It shouldn’t be a surprise because throughout the Bible God started small.

Abraham –

Abraham didn’t just start small, he started with nothing.

Even at 100, God fulfilled His promise and gave Abraham a son.

Naaman –

(2 Kings 5) Asked to do something small and wash in the Jordan.

2 Kings 5:13 But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’”

Is God asking you to do something small?

It is not beneath you. It is not a demotion. There is no shame in being asked to do something small. If you do it with the right attitude, it will turn into something a little bit bigger. God starts small.

Zerubabel –

But all they had was a rock.

Have you ever felt like it’s just a rock?

I just play guitar. I just make costumes. I just pick up people. I just sit up the back. I just look after my kids. I just go to a brain dead job. I just answer phones. I’m just a teenager. I’m just a retiree.

Zechariah 4:9-10 “Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me. Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”

Let’s get back to Christmas.

Here is where I have found hope. God could have gone big instead He went small.

When you choose a word like unlimited you expect God to do something big. What I see is small. What I see is a rock. What I see is nothing at all, just an idea, a dream.

The unlimited power of God to save humankind was there as a baby. When God does something big, He still starts small.

You may look at your life, what is in your hands and think it’s small.

You may have nothing like Abraham, you may be doing something small like Naaman, you may only have a rock like Zerubabel, but just like God’s plan for salvation, God is starting small to finish big. Do not despise the day of small beginnings. Do not lose hope. God sees the stars. God sees the temple. God sees the blessing. God sees redemption. It may not look like it but God’s unlimited plan in your life is coming to pass. Be faithful. Grow. Don’t let small beginnings be an excuse for small-mindedness. And the big thing you’ve had glimpses of, the big thing God wants to do in your life – the unlimited – will come to pass.

If all you have is small, take a step. See the stars. See the temple rebuilt. Never stop dreaming. Don’t despise small beginnings. God is bursting in the scene bringing His bigness & glory. God can’t stay small for long.